Bucket chain and sprocket therefor



March 22, 1955 H, TALBOYS 2,704,407

BUCKET CHAIN AND SPROCKET THEREFOR Filed Nov. 7, 1949 2 Sheets-Sheet l Wife/Keys MarchZZ, 1955 TALBQYS 2,704,407

BUCKET CHAIN AND SPROCKET THEREFOR Filed Nov. '7, 19 49 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 J 712/??? for United States Patent BUCKET CHAIN AND SPROCKET THEREFOR Henry H. Talboys, Milwaukee, Wis., assignor to Nordberg Manufacturing Company, Milwaukee, Wis., a corporation of Wisconsin Application November 7, 1949, Serial No. 125,912

7 Claims. (Cl. 37-191) My invention relates to an improvement in excavating devices and has for one purpose to provide an improved excavating boom. 1

Another purpose is to provide an excavating boom, and associated parts, advantageously usable with a machine for excavating ballast from the right-of-way beyond the tie ends.

Another purpose is to provide an improved gear arrangement for ballast excavating booms.

Another purpose is to provide an improved gear and bucket assembly for such booms.

Another purpose is to provide means for increasing the bucket capacity of excavating chain without increasing the size of the buckets.

Another purpose is to prevent loss of material, or spillage, between the buckets of a bucket chain.

Other purposes will appear from time to time in the course of the specification and claims.

I illustrate the invention more or less diagrammatically in the accompanying drawings, wherein:

Figure 1 is a vertical section with parts omitted and parts broken away;

Figure 2 is an enlarged section on the line 22 of Figure 1; and

Figure 3 is a power diagram.

Like parts are indicated by like symbols throughout the specification and drawings.

I illustrate my invention as applied to a ballast excavator of the type shown in United States patent application Serial No. 787,318 filed in the name of Harry W. Protzeller on November 21, 1947, and assigned to the Nordberg Manufacturing Company, the assignee of the present application.

It will be understood that the structure in question includes a boom element generally indicated at A, which may be suitably mounted on any suitable supporting and conveying vehicle not herein shown. The details of the boom do not of themselves form part of the present invention and will not be herein discussed in detail. However, the boom carries an upper sprocket shaft 20 on which any suitable sprockets 21 are mounted. The shaft 20 may be driven from any suitable power shaft 22 through a pinion 23 and gear 24. The source may be any suitable power source and I illustrate a drive sprocket 25 about which passes a chain 26 which may be driven from any suitable motor means, not herein shown. I illustrate chains B, which will later be described in greater detail, which will be understood to pass about the upper or driving sprockets 21 and to pass also about the lower or driven sprockets C.

The sprockets C may be mounted on any suitable shaft 1 mounted in suitable bearings 2 on a lower end of the boom structure A. Each sprocket C has secured to it an external ring 3 having a plurality of teeth 4. Each tooth 4 has a flattened outer surface 5, the purpose of which will later appear.

The rings may be secured to the sprockets by any suitable bolts or securing means 6. It will be noted that the sprockets C have teeth 7 arranged in pairs, the pairs of teeth having an inter-tooth length appropriate to receive a chain pintle or roller, while the space between adjacent pairs of teeth is substantially greater than the space between the teeth. I find it advantageous to have each pair of sprocket teeth 7 adjacent one of the teeth 4 of the ring 3, there being a pair of sprocket teeth for "ice each2 one of the ring teeth, as will be clear from Figure Any suitable means may be employed for adjusting and supporting the boom A. 1 illustrate, however, a structure D which forms part of the vehicle not shown, and which may be employed to support the lower or outer end of the boom A. The details of the supporting connection do not of themselves form part of the present invention.

Each chain B includes a plurality of link elements or side link members 30 suitably connected by pins or other connecting means 31. I employ a plurality of excavating buckets 32 and, also, intermediate cutting elements 33, a cutting element being interposed between each pair of adjacent buckets. I find it advantageous to form the buckets and the cutting elements with any suitable lug portions which may be integrated into and form part of the chain B. Each bucket is shown as having removable front and side toothed cutting members 32a and 32b. Similarly, each cutting element 33 is shown as having toothed side cutting members 33a.

Secured to the lower forward edge of each bucket 32 is a flexible flap or bridge 34, which may be of rubber, or of a suitable rubber substitute, and which preferably extends for the entire width of the bucket as shown in Figure 1. As shown in Figure 2 it is preferably of sufficient length to bridge the space between the lower forward edge of each bucket 32 and the adjacent portion of the nearest cutter 33. Thus, in effect, the height of the bucket as it moves in the direction of the arrow of Figure 2 is increased, and thus its capacity. Furthermore, the flexible flaps or bridges 34 bridge the space between each bucket 32 and the cutter next above it and greatly reduce the amount of material which falls between the buckets and upon the chains. This not only increases the load carried by the chain, but decreases greatly the amount of material which falls through the bucket 32 and fouls the chains or the buckets.

Extending from the lower forward edge of each bucket 32 and of each cutter 33 is a pair of lugs or plates 36, each of which has a tapered generally rectilinear face 37 adapted to engage and ride over the flattened portions 5 of the teeth 4 as it passes around the bottom sprockets C.

It will be realized that whereas I have described and shown a practical and operative device, nevertheless many changes may be made in size, shape, number and disposition of parts without departing from the spirit of my invention. I therefore wish my description and drawings to be taken as in a broad sense illustrative or diagrammatic, rather than as limiting me to my specific showing herein.

1 The use and operation of my invention are as folows:

I illustrate my bucket chain and sprocket as used for excavating material from along a railroad right-of-way. The boom A may be mounted on any suitable carriage or base which, preferably, is provided with flanged wheels for riding on the rails of a track. When the chain is driven in the direction of the arrow of Figure 2, the cutting edges of the buckets describe a generally arcuate path generally centered with the shaft 1. The boom is preferably so set that the bucket edges enter the surface of the right-of-way at a point or in a zone spaced slightly outwardly beyond the edges of the ties. As each bucket enters the ground, the point of load is at the outer edge of the bucket. Similarly, as each cutter enters the ground, the point of load is at the outer corners of the cutter. The buckets and cutters then tend to rotate about the pivot point marked X in the little power diagram of Figure 3. The levers or extensions or plates 36, with their generally rectilinear faces 37, extend to the contact point indicated at Y, producing an arm not too much shorter than the arm extending from X to the point of load as at Z. Thus the opposed flattened surfaces 37, 5 of the lugs 36 and the teeth 4 provide, in etfect, a sustaining support for the buckets and for the cutters. It should also be understood that as the chain rides over the sprocket and the opposed rectilinear contact is broken, the result is a sudden agitation or release of bucket and cutter which tends to shake loose outside material from it.

The flaps or bridges 34 are so formed and proportioned that they bridge the gap between the upper or inner edge of each bucket and the rail flange or surface of the cutter next preceding it. The flap does not interfere in any way with the filling of the bucket. On the contrary, it acts, in etfect, as an extension of the rear inner edge of the bucket and increases the capacity of the bucket. This is indicated by the dotted in line of material at the left of Figure 2. The flaps 34 also assist in preventing the fouling of the chains and sprockets, as material cannot fall through between the buckets and cutters into the chains.

In the sprocket assembly I employ, I find it advantageous to provide spaced pairs of teeth in predetermined relation to the bucket or bucket lug engaging abutments 4. It will be understood that, as each bucket or cutter passes around the sprockets, an appropriate roller or pintle enters the intertooth space and constitutes the sole sprocket connection for that particular bucket or cutter. In other words, there is a pair of teeth, on each sprocket, for each bucket or cutter which passes around the sprockets.

I claim:

1. In an excavating chain, a plurality of articulated buckets, each such bucket having a flexible flap secured to its inner edge, the outer edges of the flaps being free, the flaps being of resilient material and being formed and adapted thereby to maintain a yielding, slidable contact with an adjacent element of the chain and to constitute an upward extension of the inner wall of such bucket.

2. In an excavating chain, a plurality of buckets flexibly connected to each other, and a cutter element flexibly positioned between each pair of buckets, each said cutter element having at each side an edged cutter member extending outwardly beyond the side edges of the chain, each said bucket having a flexible resilient flap secured to its lower, inner edge of a length sufficient to span the distance between such bucket and the adjacent cutter element, the outer edges of the flexible flaps being free, the flaps being formed and adapted to maintain a yielding, slidable contact with an adjacent cutter element plositioned in advance of the bucket in the excavating c am.

3. In a cutter chain and sprocket assembly therefor, a pair of parallel chains, a plurality of buckets, each including portions articulated into each said chain, each such bucket having a contact lever element extending inwardly and longitudinally therefrom, and a positioning element, rotatable with said sprockets, opposed to each such contact lever element, each said contact lever element having a sprocket engaging face rearwardly and longitudinally substantially offset from the lead edge of the bucket.

4. In an excavator chain assembly, a pair of parallel chains, a plurality of buckets connected to and articulated into said chains, a cutter between each adjacent pair of buckets, said cutter being connected to and articulated into said chains, a flexible resilient flap connected to and extending from the lower inner edge of each bucket and engaging the adjacent cutter along substantially the width of each bucket, said flap having a length substantially equal to the distance between the bucket and the adjacent cutter when the bucket and cutter are at the point of greatest separation, each such flap having a free edge movably opposed to such cutter.

In an excavating chain, a plurality of connected articulated chain elements, and a plurality of buckets included in said chain, each said buckets having a flexible resilient flap secured to its lower inner edge, the outer edges of the flexible flaps being free, the flaps being formed and adapted to maintain a yielding, slideable contact with an adjacent element of the chain and to constitute an upward extension of the inner wall of said buckets, whereby said flaps prevent contact of the material carried by said buckets with said chain.

6. In a sprocket element for cutter chains, a sprocket body having a plurality of pairs of teeth, the space between the teeth of each pair being substantially less than the space between the pairs of teeth, and a bucket abutment structure secured to said sprocket and including a bucket engaging abutment element located in annular-spaced relation to each such pair of teeth.

7. The structure of claim 6, characterized by and including a unitary bucket abutment member positively secured to the sprocket and having a plurality of outwardly extending bucket engaging abutments spaced circumferentially thereabout.

References Cited in the file of this patent 

